APPARATUS TO CREATE, SAVE AND FORMAT TEXT DOCUMENTS USING GAZE CONTROL AND METHOD ASSOCIATED BASED ON THE OPTIMIZED POSITIONING OF CURSOR

• US 20110022950A1
• Filed: 03/11/2009
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SR Labs S.R.L.
• Original Assignee: SR Labs S.R.L.
• Inventors: Dallago, Gianluca
• Granted Patent: US 8,205,165 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/256
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

The method and the apparatus object of present invention refers to a system and A method that create, save and format text documents using a device with gaze control and a system of quick positioning of the cursor. The present invention provides a faster interaction and requires a minimum effort with respect to the state of the art interfaces.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A method for the text documents processing based on optimized positioning of cursor, to be performed by means of electronic processing of data and information provided with means for visualisation of data comprising an eye tracker device, said method comprising the following steps:

a) a user interface, adapted to allow the user to interact with said eye tracker device associated to said electronic processor, is displayed on suitable means of visualization associated to said means of electronic processing of data and information;

b) user gaze coordinates, as raw data, are calculated from said eye tracking device, and represent the gaze coordinates, along the two Cartesian axis, obtained with the frequency typical of said eye tracking device;

c) raw data related to said use gaze coordinates are filtered so that they are more stable and suitable to provide information about the user fixations, that is the number of user gaze around a certain area;

d) the filtered data coming from step c) are sent to a set action module;

e) an events management module processes the incoming event through mapping between itself and an application reply, so that every event/action is associated to a corresponding action on the user interface that involves a change of data and in case a change of user interface itself;

f) the events management module sends such information to a states management module;

g) the states management module processes such information and updates its internal state on the basis of received information;

h) an interface management module requires the data for the updating to the States Management Module and produces a suitable user interface;

i) the interface management module puts itself on wait of the following input data;

j) steps from b) through i) on are repeated;

characterised in that said step h) comprises

the interface management module requests data for the updating to the states management module and produces a semitransparent window, related to the fixation area, that moves on the text following the user gaze, and a set of buttons, into the lateral bar, that can be selected, each of them corresponding to the words included into the fixation area,

the events management module receives in input the event related to the selection of word chosen among the buttons into the lateral bar, determines the reply of the application and sends such information to the States Management module,

the states management module processes such information and updates its own state, and

the interface management module requests data for the updating to the states management module and produces a coloured bar placed at the beginning or at the end of the chosen word.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein said step h) further comprises the following steps:

the events management module receives in input the event related to the selection of button “

Select”

from lateral bar, determines the reaction of the application and sends such information to the states management module,

the states management module processes such information and updates its own state,

the interface management module request the data for the updating to the. states management module and puts itself on wait for further events,

the events management module receives in input the event related to the selection of the chosen word (previous to the first that the user wants to select or following the last) among the buttons selectable in the lateral bar, determines the reaction of the application and sends such information to the states management module,

the states management module processes such information and updates its own state, and

the interface management module requests data for updating to the states management module and colours the text comprised between the two words as feedback of the selection made.

13. The method according to claim 11 wherein it comprises a further step adapted to perform an action chosen among group comprising:

erasing, insertion, formatting words or text portions.

14. The method according to claim 12 wherein it comprises a further step adapted to perform an action chosen among group comprising:

erasing, insertion, formatting words or text portions.